Record material testing machine



Sept; 2, 1941. ANDRE RECORD MATERIAL TESTING momma Filed Dec ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 2, 1941 RECORD MATERIAL TESTING MACHINE Eugene Andre, Vincennes, France, assigncr to International Business Machines Corporation,

.New York,N. Y., a corporation of New York Application December 19, 1939,-Serial No. 309,968

In France November 10, 1939 4 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for analyzing record material to detect imperfections therein.

In-the selection and preparation of record material for use as tabulating cards in electrical accounting machine systems, it becomes necessary to analyze the material for small apertures" and-carbon specks therein andto mark portions of the record material containing these imperfections with an identifying mark in order that when the material is divided up into cards, the cards vso marked may be removed and discarded. The customary methods of marking used in the art have resided in the slitting of the record material L-inrits defective portions or in the appli cation of red ink thereto as described in detail in the U. 'S. Patent 2,089,308 issued to John L. Sull-ivan'on August 10, 1937.

As explained in that patent. the tabulatin cards as they are made are stacked in piles and are then inspected for the purpose of discovering and removing defective cards. In this procedure, it has been found that considerable time is consumed in locating the bad cards because, when the cards are standing in the pile, the identifying marks are not visible. Consequently, the inspector must select groups of said cards and fan through them to ascertain the presence 'of any bad cards. It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide improved marking means for disclosing defective portions of record material by causing said portions to be displaced from the normal plane of said material. Cards made from the marked portions of the record material thus have considerably in creased thickness where the marking occurs so that they cause noticeable separation places among a pile of good cards. The inspector, by observing these places, may quickly remove the bad cards. Thus, the time normally required for the separation of the cards is appreciably diminished. I

Briefly, the method of marking the record material provided for in the improved embodiment of the invention comprises a pair of gear-like members located on opposite sides of the material. These members are normally out of mesh but are called into engagement for a brief period of time upon analysis of a defect in the material. As the gears move into engagement, they cause the portion of the record material between them. to become corrugated. Later, when the record material is divided up into cards and. the cards are stacked in piles, the corrugated portions of to their increased thickness which-are readily as'certainable upon inspection.

Furtherbbjebts'of the instant invention reside in any-novel feature of construction or operation or novel combination of parts present in the embodiment of the invention described and shown in the accompanying drawing "whether Within or without the scope of the "appended claims and irrespective of other specific "statescope of the invention contained ments as to the heroin.

In "the drawing:

Fig. 1 'is a sectional view of the apparatusfor feeding, "analyzing, and marking defects in rec- "0rd material. I I Fig.2 shows a number of record cards and i1 lustr'ates' the noticeable effect of the occurrence of arauity card in the pack;

Feeding mechanism In Fig. 1, I0 is the record material which is fed from "asuitable roll (not shown) past a sensing station generally nesign'ated A, thence past the marking station designated 33, around "fixed rollers? |4,'-pullin'g rone'rs 15; and'thi'ough the slitting station generally designated 0 to a pair of rollers 16-. The record material ll) is generally of about eight times the width of an ordinary record card. Consequently, at station C the material is slit into stripsfof proper card width; From rollers IS the separated alternate strips are guided over rollers (not shown) to form rolls which are later passed through other machines to be divided into cards;

2'0 is'the main drive shaft of the machine and may be driven from any suitable source of" power in the direction indicated by the-arrow. The shaft 20 has gear connection 2| with shaft 22 from which gearing 23 drives pulling rollers I5. 40 As the rollers l5 draw the card stock I 0' around rollers l2, I3, and I4, thestock is ironed before it reaches the sensing station A.

Sensing station The sensing station A diagrammatically represented at the upper part of Fig. 1 and comprises-a plurality of contact plates 4 l insulated from one another and from the rest of themachine, there being one plate for each of the strips 50 into which the Web ID is to be slit. Cooperating with the plates 4| are sets of analyzing brushes 42' which are electrically connected to one another. Upon detection of a conductings'peck in the web by one of the brushes 42,'a'circuit is the defective cards cause separation places due 5 completed from the brush to the plate to bring the marking mechanism into an operative position.

Marking mechanism A shaft 44, fixed to the frame 43 forms a mounting for idler gears 45. The arrangement is such that the gears will normally just clear the record material. Directly opposite each gear 45 and on the other side of the web is another idler gear 46 which is freely mounted at the lower .end of a bell crank follower arm 54. The other end of arm 54 is provided with a roller 55 which cooperates with cam 56. With the cam in the normal position as illustrated in Fig. 1, there is clearance between gear 46 and the web. Upon rotation of cam 56 the follower arm 54 is rocked counterclockwise to move gear 46 toward the record material and toward gear 45 to cause the material to be corrugated as gear 46 meshes with gear 45. The movement of the record material causes the meshed gears to rotate, and the corrugation continues during the period which cam 56 holds the follower 54 in its rocked position. In this manner a gear track or corrugation is effected on the web in the section of the material where the defect was detected, which corrugation is of a length determinable by the configuration of the cam.

The cam is automatically brought into operation upon detection of an imperfection in its related section of the web and the timing is such that gear 46 engages gear 45 and the record material at a point somewhat in advance of the location of the imperfection and remains in engagement for a predetermined period after the imperfection itself has passed the marking gears.

The clutch shaft 51 is driven from rollers l through a chain 59. Secured upon the shaft are clutch driving elements 58 which, accordingly, are in constant rotation while the machine is in operation.

Carried by each cam 56 (only one of which is shown) is a spring-pressed pawl 60 which is nor mally engaged by a latching lever 6| pivoted at 62. lever 6| to release pawl 60, and cam 56 thus is caused to rotate with shaft 57. The magnet 63 is deenergized during the cycle thus initiated, and the restoring spring of lever 6| returns the latter to latching position to disengage cam 56 after a revolution has been completed.

Slitting device After the record material passes the marking gears it passes to station C where shearing disks or slitters 65 separate the web into the appropriate sections. In slitting the web a narrow ribbon is cut from each edge of the web so that the edges of each of the outer strips are cleancut. The strips are now fed either down or up to their winding rolls (not shown) the usual custom being to have alternate strips fed in the same direction.

A clutch magnet 63, when energized, rocks 10, via wire H to brushes 42, imperfection in the strip, contact plate 4|, wire 12, relay magnets 13, and 14 in parallel, normally closed cam controlled contacts 15, to line 16. The controlling cam 11 of contacts 15 is integral with the cam 56. Energization of relay magnet 14 closes its contacts 14a, completing a circuit from line 10, via wire 18, contact 14a, clutch magnet 63, to line I6. Relay magnet 13 closes it contacts 13a to provide a holding circuit for relay magnet 14 from line HI, wire 18, contacts 13a, relay magnet 14, wire 80, contacts 15, to line 16. Contacts 15 open to break the holding circuit after a predetermined period of time. the energization of magnet 63 and the opening of contacts 15, assuming a constant feeding rate for the web, determines the length of the marking on the record material.

While there has been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a single modification it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine for testing non-conductive record material for conductive imperfections therein, marking means for said material including a pair of gears, one of said gears being freely mounted on a movable arm and the other of said gears being freely mounted on a fixed shaft, means to feed a web of the record material between said gears, a sensing station, means controlled by the sensing station upon sensing an imperfection in a portion of the web for moving the first-mentioned gear into engagement with said web and the other gear to destroy the regularity of the surface of the portion of the web so engaged, and means for holding said gears in engagement for a predetermined length of time for rotation by the web to cause a continuance of impressed irregularity of surface for a predetermined distance.

2. In a machine for testing non-conductive record material for conductive imperfections therein, means for feeding a web of said material, a sensing station, a marking device comprising a pair of freely mounted gears, one on each side of said Web, means controlled by said sensing station upon sensing an imperfection for causing one of said gears to move into engagement with the record material and the other gear thereby pressing said record material between them, and means for holding said gears in engagement for a predetermined period of time for rotation by the record material to impress a gear track thereon of predetermined length. I

3. In a machine for testing non-conductive record material for conductive imperfections therin, marking means for said material including a pair of serrated disks, one of said disks being freely mounted on a movable arm and the other of said disks being freely mounted on a fixed shaft, means to feed a web of the record material between said disks, web sensing means, means controlled by the web sensing means upon sensing an imperfection in a portion of the web for moving the first mentioned disk into engagement with said web and the other disk to mutilate the surface of the portion of the web so engaged,

The time period between.

each side of said Web, each disk having serrated 10 edges capable of engaging with the edges of the other disk, means controlled by the web sensing means upon sensing a conductive imperfection in the web for causing one of said disks to move into engagement with the other so as to press the Web between them, and means for holding said disks in engagement for a predetermined period of time for rotation by the web as it is fed by the feeding means to impress a serrated track of predetermined length on said Web.

EUGENE ANDRE. 

